Big, Bold Brassicas.

Did you know that Brassicas are among the most commonly cultivated vegetables in the world, and some of the most nutritious vegetables you can eat?

Brassica vegetables are part of the genus Brassicaceae, or Mustard family. Brassicas are also categorised as cruciferous vegetables (Cruciferae), or members of the Cabbage family.

A couple of things to keep in mind when you are growing Brassicas, whether it be Kohlrabi and Kale or Cauliflowers and Collard Greens. Firstly they will need to be netted. It's best to buy proper butterfly netting, not just bird netting. Although pigeons love a tasty Brassica, it's the Cabbage White butterflies that can do the most damage. I've seen the small Cabbage Whites fold in their wings and squeeze through netting to lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves for them to hatch out into sometimes hundreds of little caterpillars that can devour a plant almost overnight. Not a pretty sight I can tell you.

And the other thing is that Brassicas need quite a bit of space to grow as they do get big! A couple of years ago I had some Purple Sprouting Broccoli that was five foot tall and three foot wide! It's very tempting to squeeze a couple of extra plants in when they are small, but you won't be doing them any favours.

Organic Slug pellets...Good or bad?

This time last year I think most of us had almost given up food gardening because of the combination of the very cold, wet spring coupled with the devastating onslaught of slugs and snails. It's tough to see your precious baby food plants that you've nurtured from seed to be mercilessly devoured sometimes overnight. Just thinking about it makes me feel queasy 😩

Anyway, the good news is that, with the very dry spring weather we've had, there haven't been as many slugs about. However, now we've had a bit of rain, you may be thinking that you're not going to be taking any chances and have start putting Slug pellets down. What you may not know is that even the Organic Slug pellets that are supposed to be wildlife friendly are actually harmful or can even kill our earthworms.

The active ingredient in these pellets, ferric phosphate, is generally safe for mammals, but they also contain Chelators agents (like EDTA) that are toxic to Earthworms.

Earthworms play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy soil ecosystem by improving aeration, nutrient cycling, and water infiltration. When earthworms are harmed by slug pellets, it can negatively affect the overall health and fertility of your soil. Something to think about when you next reach for that container of pellets. If you still want to use them, use them sparingly as worms are a gardeners best friend.